How to Deal
by Jewels-Rem
Summary: When Ashley Pearl's life is turned upside down from getting sent to Camp Green Lake, a juvenile correctional facility for boys, she has to learn how to deal with her new and unpredictable life. COMPLETED!
1. Ashley's World

How to Deal Chapter 1  
  
"Ashley! Get your butt down here this instant!" Ashley's mom called from downstairs. Ashley sighed. "What?" "Come down here!" Ashley made her way down the stairs. "What?" she asked again, sounding more annoyed. "I just got a phone call from Mr. Brennan, your school principal, saying that you've cut classes and got in detention again." She said. Ashley just rolled her eyes and started walking up the stairs again. "You just wait one minute young lady and come sit at the kitchen table!" said Ashley's mom. Ashley despised it when people called her 'young lady'. She sighed again and sat down at the table. "Why are you doing this Ashley? This isn't the way that I raised you." Said Ashley's mom with concern. Ashley just starred into nothing. "What am I dong wrong?" Ashley's mom asked. Ashley didn't answer. "Will you talk with me?" Ashley narrowed her eyes. "I don't WANT to talk to anybody right now except Landon." She said. "Who's Landon? Not another one of your boyfriends." "As a matter of fact, he IS my boyfriend and I'm going to go call him." Ashley said. "Oh no you're not, you are going to sit here and talk with me." Her mom said. Then she hesitated and said, "How old is he?" "23 going on 24 in 2 months." Ashley said. "He's way too old for you Ashley! It's against the law to date somebody that old when you're this young!" her mom said. "Who cares." Ashley smirked. "Just talk with me." Her mom said. "There isn't anything to talk about." She said. "There is a lot to talk about, Ashley." Ashley looked up at the ceiling. "I just want to get through high school and live my life." She said. "'Live your life'? Just think about this, Ashley. How do you want to live your life? Don't answer that, just think about it in your room. Go up to your room, stay there, and don't come out until you have figured out how to deal with your life." She said. Ashley pushed the chair back and went upstairs into her room. She walked across the room and grabbed her cell phone. She sat down on her bed and dialed Landon's number. It rang 2 times before he answered. "Hello?" "Hey Landon....it's me." Ashley said. "Oh hey Ashley, how ya doing baby?" he asked. "Fine." She answered in a harsh tone. "What is it?" he asked. "My mom. She's always giving me lectures on how to live my life and everything. I mean, come on! I'm sixteen and I think I can handle my own life!" she said. "Yeah I know, baby I gotta go." Landon said. He sounded distracted and like he didn't care. He hung up and didn't even say good-bye. "uuuurrrrhgg.Jerk!" Ashley yelled and punched the call button. She laid back on her bed and closed her eyes. Just then, her phone rang. "What?" Ashley asked, rudely. "Whoa, Ash Girl, what's wrong?" asked Alena, Ashley's best friend. Alena pronounces her name 'Aleena'. Ashley sighed, "My mom.and now Landon." "Oh, do you want to talk about it?" she asked. "Maybe later." Ashley said. "Well, I'll tell you about my mom later, but I can tell you about Landon now." "I'm listening." "Well, I started telling him about my mom and everything, and then I heard a voice in the background, someone calling Landon, and it sounded like a girl's voice to me. Then he said he had to go and then he hung up." Ashley said. Alena gasped, "Is he two-timing you?" "Gee, I hope not!" said Ashley sarcastically. "But I think I'm going to stop by his house in a little while." "Alright. Oh shit!" "What?" asked Ashley. "My mom wants me off the phone." She said. "Oh, okay. Call me when you can." Said Ashley. "Okay, bye." Alena said. "Bye." Ashley pushed the call button and put her cell phone in one of the many pockets in her pants. She was wearing black cargo pants with lots of zippers. The pants went down to her shin where it had a piece of elastic that held it tight to her skin. Her pants were baggy, yet they fit. She had a leather belt that had tiny skulls on it that had a 2 chains hanging down the side of her leg, 1 long one and 1 short one. Her shirt was a snug blue shirt that just reached the top of her jeans. It had really short sleeves with a red boarder around the end of the sleeves and on the collar. It said 'boy beater' across the front. Ashley slipped on her blue skateboard shoes and went down the stairs two steps at a time. "Have you figured out how to live your life, Ashley?" her mom asked from the living room couch. She was reading a magazine and had the TV on low volume. "Uh, actually, I have figured it out and it's a surprise." She said, slamming the door behind her. Ashley's mom sighed and shook her head. "She hasn't figured it out." She mumbled.  
  
Ashley grabbed her skateboard from the shed in the front yard and zoomed down the hill. Landon's house was 1 mile away from Ashley's. As Ashley turned the corner to Landon's street, she thought to herself, "Do I love Landon? Why am I wasting my time for this guy? I'll just check up on him anyways."  
  
Ashley did a kick-flip as she skated into Landon's drive-way. An unfamiliar car was parked there. Ashley stomped on her skateboard and grabbed the end as it flew up. She walked up to the door and rang the doorbell. 


	2. Welcome to Camp Green Lake

How to Deal Chapter Two  
  
After Ashley rang the doorbell, she heard people shuffling around. Landon opened the door. His hair was really ruffled up, he didn't have a shirt on, and there were blankets in his living room. "Oh hey baby!" he said. "What's up?" "What are you doing in there?" she asked. "Oh, nothing." He said. Ashley could see a girl underneath the blankets. Ashley narrowed her eyes and shook her head. She turned away from Landon and got on her skateboard. "Wait! Ashley! Hold on a sec!" he yelled after her. Ashley's gut told her to keep on going, to skateboard home, but she turned around to look at him. "What? What is it Landon? What is worth staying here for?" she asked with a real attitude. He held up a finger and said, "Wait right there. Don't go anywhere, I'll be right out." "You have one minute! And counting!" she yelled. "Alright." Landon said and he shut the door. In exactly one minute, he came out of the house with a girl following him. She looked to be around 20 years old and wore really really tight girly clothes. "Hey babe." He said. "Will you stop calling me that?" she asked, clearly mad at him. "This is Jennifer." He said, looking at the girl that was next to him. Ashley tilted her head to the side, her hands on her hips, and looked at Jennifer. Landon looked at Jennifer, then at Ashley, then back at Jennifer. He rubbed the back of his neck. "So, is this you're...girlfriend?" Jennifer asked in a sassy tone, looking at Ashley like she was some kind of gross dead animal. Landon didn't answer right away. "Landon!" Ashley yelled at him. "Oh...uh..yeah." he said, but Ashley saw him wink at Jennifer. Ashley shook her head and got on her skateboard again. "Ashley. I was wondering if you wanted to go somewhere with me and Jennifer." He asked. "I guess so." She said. Besides, she didn't have anything better to do. Ashley put her skateboard in the back of his pick-up truck and climbed in. Jennifer came in after Ashley and he drove the girls away. He drove and drove and finally arrived behind some factory. "Come on girls." He said, getting out of the truck. By now, it was dark out and it was starting to rain. Ashley didn't feel too good about this. But she got out anyway. Jennifer got out after Ashley and the three jumped a fence that had a sign saying, "No Trespassing" on it. Now Ashley really didn't feel good about this. Landon led them to the very back of the factory where there was a deep pond filled with dirty water. "Where are you taking us Landon?" asked Ashley. "I'm supposed to meet some people here." He said. Ashley sighed and leaned against the side of the factory. Before Ashley new it, she heard sirens, lots of sirens. "Landon! You idiot! You led me into a trap!" Ashley yelled at the top of her lungs. Jennifer smirked and Landon said, "Yeah babe. Now I'm finally rid of you and you're in serious shit." He and Jennifer ran to their truck. "AAAGGGH!!!! LANDON!" she screamed and she ran after them. The truck started pulling away and the only thing that Ashley could think of was to grab her skateboard from the back of Landon's truck. She started to climb in but Landon drove away too fast and all she had now was her skateboard. The sirens were really close now. Ashley turned around and saw about 5 cops running after her. She started running but they were too fast. They pounced on her and she fell to the ground. They cuffed her and dragged her to the police car. "No! I'm innocent! Landon Stiles set me up!" Ashley screamed. But the cops weren't listening to anything she said and by the time she knew it, she was at the jail, then she was at court..and now she was riding a bus to a Juvenile Correctional Facility called Camp Green Lake.  
  
Ashley turned her head to look at the driver and the guard in the front of the bus. "Yo! When're we gettin' there?" she asked. The driver just shook his head and didn't answer. The guard looked like he was falling asleep. The bus hadn't even gotten out of the city yet and Ashley was so bored that she didn't have anything better to do.  
  
Ashley jumped when the bus halted to a stop. She looked out the window. The bus stopped n front of an apartment in a nice city. A boy about her age walked onto the bus. He had a backpack on and he was really tall. He was surprised to see another person on the bus besides the driver and the guard, so he made his way over to where Ashley was sitting. The boy sat down in the seat in front of her and turned around. "Hi." He said, smiling. Ashley just looked at him and then looked away. "Uh.*clears throat* I'm Stanley." He said. Ashley sighed a really short sigh and said, "Don't even bother." "Oh..uh.okay." he said. He turned around. After awhile, Ashley felt kind bad the way she pushed him away like that. "Uh..I'm Ashley. Sorry about...uh, what I did." She said, finally. Stanley turned around and smiled. "Hi." "Hey." Ashley said. "Nice to meet you, Ashley." He said. Ashley tried her best to smile. She wasn't used to being friendly to somebody, let alone someone being friendly to her. "Where do you think we're going? Well, I know its Camp Green Lake, but what do you think it's like there?" Stanley asked. Ashley shrugged. "Dunno." Stanley nodded. Ashley rested her head against the side of the window. As she did this, she noticed a couple of holes here and there. It sort of freaked Ashley out. It reminded her of the moon. Ashley shuddered, even thought it was extremely hot weather. As the bus drove down the dusty road, more and more holes appeared. "What's up with these holes man?" asked Stanley. Ashley liked it when he called her man. She hated anything like babe, baby, hon, or anything like that. She liked dude and man. "I don't know. It's weird, like the moon or something." She said. "Yeah." Stanley said. Finally they arrived at some kind of camp, well obviously, camp is in the name of the facility isn't it? Ashley grabbed her black backpack that said, "Wazzzzup????" on it, slipped her shoes back on, and grabbed her skateboard. Stanley grabbed his backpack and made their way off the bus. "Don't be wise. Come on." Said the guard. "Thanks for the ride." Stanley said as the stepped off the bus. The driver just smirked. "So, uh, where's the lake?" Ashley asked. "Hey, what'd I just tell you, don't be a wise guy." The guard said. Ashley smirked and thought to herself, "That's just what I am!" The guard led them to a small cabin. Ashley and Stanley looked around. There were lots of boys wearing orange jumpsuits carrying shovels. Ashley made a quizzical look and Stanley returned it. "Well, I guess I won't be able to ride my skateboard anywhere." Ashley said. "Yeah, I dunno. Maybe they have a court or something?" Stanley wondered. "I doubt it, these boys look bored to death." She said. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He said. Stanley, Ashley, and the guard walked into the cabin and saw a stiff looking man sitting behind a desk. "Sit down." He said. 


	3. Meet Mr Sir

How to Deal Chapter Three  
  
Stanley and Ashley look at where the man was pointing. There was only one chair. Stanley held out his hands, gesturing that Ashley could have the chair. "Thanks." Ashley said, sitting down. Stanley stood behind her chair and put his hands on the back of it. "Ashley Pearl." The man said. Ashley nodded. "Stanley Yelnats..The Fourth?" "Yeah, everyone in my family names their son Stanley 'cause it's Yelnats backwards." the man let his clipboard slip from his hands and land on the desk, making it obvious that he didn't care what Stanley was saying. "..It's sort of this..uh..t-tradition." Stanley finished. Ashley actually felt a little sorry for Stanley. "My name is Mr. Sir. When you speak to me you will call me by my name, is that clear?" Ashley tried really hard not to laugh. "You think that's funny?" he asked. "No, Mr. Sir." Ashley said. "This isn't a Girl Scout Camp." He said, rather loudly. "Undress." He said. Stanley started taking off his shirt. "What? Who do you think I am? Stupid?" Ashley yelled. Mr. Sir didn't say anything. "Uh, yeah, uh, just go in there." He said, pointing to a door. Ashley narrowed her eyes. Mr. Sir tossed her an orange jumpsuit identical to the ones that the boys had. She opened the door to find a small closet that stuck of stinky feet. "Ew!" she whispered. She changed as quickly as she could. She left her shirt on and took off her black zipper pants. She took her cell phone out of her pocket and put it in her orange jumpsuit pocket. She took all of the other accessories that were hidden in her pants, like gum, hair rubber bands, keys, money, and credit cards, and put them in her backpack. She put a rubber band around her wrist and didn't take off any of her bracelets or necklaces. She considered them as her trade-mark, she'd never take them off, like the friendship bracelet that Alena had given her. Alena made a bracelet for Ashley and Ashley for Alena. They wouldn't take them off until they saw each other again. She popped a piece of gum in her mouth and put one piece in her pocket, to offer to Stanley. She opened the closet door and Stanley was waiting by the door of the cabin for her. "Come on." He said. "Oh, Stanley, wanna piece of gum?" Ashley asked. "Sure." He said. Ashley gave him the piece and they walked out of Mr. Sir's cabin, following a really short guy with a straw sunhat. "I'm Dr. Pendanski. I'm your counselor here at Camp Green Lake. You'll be in D-Tent. D Stands for Diligence. That's the Wreck Room, over there's the Mess Hall, and that's the Warden's cabin. That's the main rule at Camp Green Lake, do not upset the Warden." "Yeah, he seemed kind of..." Stanley started to say. "Oh Mr. Sir? He's not the Warden." Mr. Pendanski said. "Oh." Stanley said. "Hey mom!" Three boys started walking up to them. "Who are the Neanderthals?" a boy asked. "Oh, boys, meet Ashley and Stanley. They're in D-Tent." Mr. Pendanski said. "This is Rex, Alan, and Theodore." "Yo, my name's X-Ray." Said Rex. "This is Squid and that's Armpit." He said, gesturing to each one of the boys. "Him? He's Mom." Said the boy named Squid. "They all have their little nicknames." Said Mr. Pendanski, "But I prefer to call them the names that their parents gave them, the names that society will recognize them by." X-Ray just smirked. "Well, it's just about time for dinner at the Mess Hall." Said Mr. Pendanski, looking at his watch. "Well boys, you know what to do. Please help Ashley and Stanley adjust to everything at Camp Green Lake at tell them what they need to do each day." He said. X-Ray nodded. "Come on dogs." X-Ray said. Ashley and Stanley followed Squid, Armpit, and X-Ray to the Mess Hall. "D-Tent sits here." Said Squid. Three other boys were already at the table with their dinner. Ashley and Stanley sat down next to each other at the table. Ashley sat with her elbows on the table and tried hard to not get sick just looking at the food. "So, what're your names?" asked a boy that had really frizzy blonde hair. "Stanley." Stanley said. "Uh, I'm Ashley." She mumbled. She didn't feel like socializing with people right now. "What'd they get ya for?" asked Squid. "I stole some shoes." Stanley said. Everyone laughed. "From a store? Or were they on someone's feet?" Squid asked. "No, you killed the dude first, you just left out that little detail right?" asked the blonde-haired kid. "They were Clyde Livingston's shoes." Stanley said. "Man you didn't steal no Clyde Livingston's "Sweet-Feet" shoes!" X-Ray exclaimed. "They were his World Series Cleats." Stanley said. "Wait, wait, wait, hold on a sec. How'd you get 'em? I mean, he's like the fastest guy in the majors right?" asked a boy that looked Hispanic. "He donated them to this homeless shelter." Stanley said. "Did they have red X's on 'em?" asked Zero. Everyone in D-Tent gasped. "Man! You got Zero to talk!" Squid said. "Man what else can you do Zero?" asked Armpit. Ashley thought that was kind of a rude thing to say to Zero. "What about you Ashley?" asked X-Ray. Ashley didn't answer. She felt embarrassed to tell everyone that her 'too- old' ex-boyfriend set her up with is good-for-nothing college girlfriend at the back of an old factory. "Well?" asked the blonde-haired boy. Ashley just starred down at her food. X-Ray shook his head. "Dude, maybe she doesn't like people knowing what she did!" said Squid. "Yeah." Said Stanley. Zero nodded. Ashley looked up and wanted to smile at Squid, Stanley, and Zero but she looked back down. "Whatever man." Said X-Ray. Finally, everyone was done eating and they went to the Wreck Room to go hang out. Ashley still didn't feel like socializing, but she went anyway because she has nothing better to do. As she sat there on the couch, she thought about Landon and Jennifer, and how [i]they[/i] should be the ones sitting here, not her. 


	4. Squid

How to Deal Chapter Four  
  
While everyone was playing pool or cards or whatever, Ashley pulled out a pen and paper and started to right Alena a letter.  
  
[i]Alena, Sup girl? I miss being home. Man this place sucks here! This kid called Stanley Yelnats rode on the bus with me, he was nice, but still..I miss being home. Man I despise Landon! There are a couple of weird kids around, nothing I can't handle. A couple of them are cute, but they never say anything to me and if they did I'd probably push them away or something. There's all sorts of people here. Blacks, Hispanics, Whites, Talls, Shorts, Fats, Slims, and lots more. My counselor is...well, ok. He's really short. I haven't met the Warden yet, but I'm not looking forward to it. Please write back, I'm desperate! Things are miserable here without you. The food makes me want to throw up! And there's nowhere to ride my skateboard. Well, I better go. I miss ya Lena,  
  
Ashley[/i]  
  
"Who are you writing to?" Ashley heard the boy's voice come from behind her. She screamed a small scream. "Jesus! You scared the hell outta me!" she yelled. She turned around and saw one of the cutest boys she'd ever seen. "Sorry." He said. Ashley lightly shook her head, "Uh, I'm writing to my best friend." She said. He nodded. He went around the side of the couch and sat down next to her. "What do ya think of Camp Green Lake?" he asked. Ashley shook her head. "I hate it!" she said firmly. "Oh, well, you'll get used to it." He said. "Yeah, sure." She said, sarcastically. "Oh, by the way, I'm Squid." He said, holding out his hand. Ashley raised her eyebrows, "That's your real name?" "No." he said. "My real name is Alan, but we all have nicknames." "Mmm." She said, clearly not interested. Squid put his hand down. "Well, I'm gonna play a game of pool, wanna play?" he asked. She looked him up and down, "Who do you think I am? I don't play..[i]pool[/i]." she said. "Why?" he asked. "Because! It's a game for geeks." She said. "Oh, well, I guess I'm the head of the geek club then." He said. "I'm the pool champion." He said. "Wow, impressive." She said. Ashley truly didn't know why she was being so short and rude. She just wanted some time to herself without stupid boys like Squid bothering her all the time. Squid walked off and joined X-Ray and the Hispanic boy in a game of pool. "Hey Stanley!" yelled the Hispanic boy. "What?" "Come play pool with us!" the boy yelled. "Alright." Stanley said as he got up from the floor where he was writing a letter and walked over to the guys. Ashley rolled her eyes. "Hey babe." A strong long voice said. She turned and looked around. "Are you lonely?" he asked, slowly. He sat down on the couch next to her, strangely close. "For your information, I'm not lonely, I just fell like being alone right now." She said. He leaned over to her and smelled her neck. "Ooo, you smell good." He said. She pushed him in the chest. "Get off of me!" she yelled. Pretty soon, all of the campers in the wreck room started gathering around. "Come on, princess, come into our tent." He said, gesturing to five other tough guys. "No, I'd rather stay here!" she said, sounding less sure of herself. The guy leaned forward to kiss her when suddenly he was pulled off of her really fast. She looked at what made him leave and saw D-Tent fighting with the tough guys. Ashley didn't know what to do, when finally everyone stopped fighting and the tough boys walked out. "I'll be back for you!" shouted the boy that tried to kiss her. Ashley looked up at the D-Tent boys. Squid and Stanley had bloody lips, Magnet got a black eye, X-Ray was holding his arm where a large bruise was underneath his hand, and Armpit didn't have a scratch on him. Probably because he's so big that he doesn't get hurt. Zig-Zag was rubbing his head and Zero had the 8Ball in his hand. Ashley let out a breath of relief and walked over to D-Tent. A tear rolled down her cheek. "You know, you guys could've been the guys that just ignored me and let me deal with it myself." She said. "No man. We never let anyone push girls around like that." Said X-Ray. Armpit and Zig-Zag nodded in agreement. "But I was so rude to all of you and, well, weren't you mad at me?" she asked. "No. I mean, it's hard to adjust to everything here." Said X-Ray. Ashley looked at Squid and Stanley. They were rubbing their arms and holding their sleeves to their faces. "Thank you." Ashley said. "I don't know what would've happened if you weren't there." They nodded. "We'll protect you. You won't be harmed as long as we're in the room." Said Squid. "Yeah! D-Tent sticks together!" said X-Ray. Everyone in D-Tent cheered and they walked back to their tents.  
  
Mr. Pendanski had set up a separate room for Ashley to change in, but not to sleep in. She had to sleep between Squid and Stanley. "So, what do I have to do here for punishment?" Ashley asked. "Mr. Pendanski or Mr. Sir did tell you?" asked Zig-Zag. "No." Ashley said. "Well, we have to dig five by five holes everyday." Said Squid. "What? Wait a minute. Dig a hole everyday? How hard can it be? That's nothing." Ashley said with a quizzical look. "You'd be surprised." Said Armpit. Ashley shook her head, and for once, she smiled. "It's hard, believe me Ashley." Said Squid. "Oh well that's nice encouragement." She said, but this time, not in a sarcastic way. "Did you tell them about the lizards?" asked Zig-Zag. "Yeah, you have to watch out for scorpions, tarantulas, and yellow-spotted lizards. They will kill you with one bite!" said Magnet. Ashley shuddered. "Oh. So, maybe it's not going to be as easy as I thought." She said. "Don't worry, we'll protect you." Said X-Ray. "Thanks guys." She said. "Hey, no problem." They all said, smiling. "Well, I'm going to sleep now." She said. "Good-night Ash." Said Stanley. "Yeah, good-night." The rest of D-Tent said. "Night." Ashley said, and she smiled again and laid down on her cot. As Ashley drifted off into an uneasy sleep, she thought to herself, "Maybe this isn't going to be so bad after all." 


	5. The Dream

How to Deal Chapter Five  
  
Ashley was running through the dessert, a large figure chasing her. She looked back and yelled Squid and Stanley's name. No voice came out of her mouth. She screamed again, she waved her arms, but Squid and Stanley didn't see and didn't even try to save her. [i]They promised me that they would protect me![/i] Ashley thought to herself. She was angry, the large figure was a boy, and he was gaining on her. She tripped into a hole. Pain seared through her ankle. She fell and fell in the hole and it seemed to go on forever. Like an endless pit. Right when she was about to land on the ground below her and die, she awoke with a start. She screamed. She had been dreaming. Ashley had sweat rolling down her face. She wiped it off. It wasn't sweat, it was tears. Ashley was breathing heavily. She sat up and rested her head on her heads, looking down. She started crying. Squid got up out of his cot and started walking towards Ashley. He was the only one that woke up from her screaming. He kneeled down next to her cot. As soon as Ashley knew he was there, she stopped making the sobbing noises. "Are you okay?" he whispered. She nodded. "Yeah." She whispered. "You sure?" "Uh-huh." Ashley lifted her head up and leaned back onto the wall behind her cot. She sniffed, from crying, and then wiped her eyes. "Why were you crying?" he asked. Ashley shook her head. "I-I don't remember. I only remember that I was dreaming." She said. "Can you remember what it was?" Squid asked. Ashley strained her memory. "I-I remember.um, you were in it." She said. "I was?" Ashley nodded, "Yeah, you were, so was Stanley.and.and.a large, dark figure. He was chasing me...and..." Ashley trailed off and started crying again. She started thinking to herself that she's crying about nothing and in the morning she'll feel embarrassed that she ever cried in front of Squid for just a stupid dream, but it just seemed so real. Squid had a look of sympathy on his face. "It's okay. Don't worry." He said. "Yeah, but you didn't protect me!" she said. "What do you mean?" Squid asked. "In the dream.you let the figure chase me into a hole." She said. "That's not real Ashley, I would never do that in real life." He said. She nodded. "It was just so real. I actually felt my ankle hurting when I tripped." She said. "It was like I was taken into a parallel universe." "Wait, hold on now. Stop it. You're starting to sound like the paranoid Zig- Zag." Squid said, smiling. Ashley smiled. Squid looked at his watch, 4:00. "We have to get up and dig in a half hour." He said. Ashley looked down. "I'm afraid to go back to sleep." She said, sounding corny. "You probably think I'm stupid to say that, don't you. Like a little kid who's chickened out." "No, that's impossible." He said. "Come on, let's just hang out in the wreck room. I'll stay up too. You probably shouldn't be alone out there, you know, with that guy and everything." He said. "Thanks." Ashley said. Squid stood up and went to his cot where his shirt was sitting on the floor. He put it on and then slipped on his shoes. Ashley wiped her face and then put on her own shoes. "Ready?" he asked. "Yep, let's go." She said. "You don't put make-up on or anything?" he asked. Ashley gave him a quizzical look. "You think that I [i]need[/i] make-up?" Squid shook his head, "No, that's not what I meant." He said, smiling. "It's just, all the girls that were at my school or in my neighborhood always had to put make-up on before they do [i]anything[/i]." he said. "Quite annoying really." Ashley laughed. "No, I don't wear make-up, well, sometimes. But why would I put make-up on when I'm going out in the hot sun and getting dirt anyway?" "My point exactly." Said Squid. Ashley smiled and shook her head. [i]What a character.[/i] She thought. [i]I haven't laughed like this in a long, long time.[/i]  
  
Squid and Ashley walked into the wreck room and the guy that tried to kiss her was sitting on the couch. "Just ignore him." Squid whispered so only Ashley could hear. "What are you up to little lady?" he asked. Ashley made a face, but the guy didn't see. Squid put his arm around Ashley. Ashley cringed and Squid instantly pulled his hand away. "Sorry." He whispered. "It's okay. I just do that automatically." She whispered. "Why?" he asked. "Because..I used to be abused by my father, I'll tell her about all of it later. But you can put your arm around me." She said. Squid nodded. "Hey! I think I asked you a question!" the guy said, getting up off the couch. Squid put his arm on Ashley's shoulder. "Listen, just leave her alone alright?" "What did you say?" the guy asked. Ashley was scared. She didn't want Squid to fight him. She hated fights. "I said, leave her alone. She doesn't want anything to do with you and we want to play some pool in peace." Squid said, not rudely, but firm. "Alright, alright, alright. Just chill." The guy said. "So, you got your own little bodyguard huh? Can't take care of yourself?" he asked Ashley. "I can too!" she yelled. Squid led her out of the wreck room. "Just don't forget..I'll get you, tough guy! And then I'll get her!" he yelled. He said 'get her' in a total different way than 'get you' to Squid. He meant that he'll hurt Squid and then get Ashley for a girlfriend. "Don't worry about it. Once X-Ray gets up, I'll tell him about that guy and he'll watch out for you, okay?" Squid asked. "Listen." Ashley said, pulling away from Squid's arm. "I don't like people thinking that I have a bodyguard." She said. "But I'm not." He said. "I know, but it looks like it," she said, "to other people." Squid nodded. "I'll try not to make it look like that." "Thanks," she said, "I'm sorry I'm so strict." "You're not." Squid said. "I am too and you know it!" she said, smiling and giving him a little push. Squid shook his head. "It's just, I've had a hard life and I'm not used to such nice people," She said, "because, well, I've known nice people, but then they turn around and dump or hurt me." Squid nodded. "They just act like I have no feelings." She said. "Everybody has feelings." Squid said. "Exactly." She said. Ashley tripped and fell flat on her face, a picture falling out of her pocket. "Ow!" she yelled, half laughing. "Dang! I'm so stupid! I'm always tripping over my own feet!" Squid laughed. "That's okay." He said, helping her to her feet. "What's that?" he asked, picking up the picture. It was a picture of Landon. "Oh, my boyfriend." She said. "You have a boyfriend?" he asked. "Kinda. He sort of has..two.girlfriends." Ashley said. "And you're one of them?" "Yeah," she said, "I don't want to be though. He's the reason I got sent to Camp Green Lake in the first place. The other one is Jennifer. She's the kind of girl who would be screaming right now because she'd get all dirty and everything like that, if she was here." Squid laughed. "You mean the kind of girl who would yell 'Oh I broke a nail!' type thing?" "Yeah." Ashley said, laughing. "It's nice to imagine her here, all miserable and stuff." Squid nodded. "Why doesn't he have you instead of Jennifer?" he asked. Ashley shrugged. "Dunno, maybe because he thinks I'm just a little kid and he'd rather have someone that's older, like her." "How old is Landon?" Squid asked. "He's almost 24." Ashley said. "That's pretty old to have a girl like you. How old are you again?" he asked. "16." She said. "So, you're broken up?" "Yeah. I don't love him anymore. He ruined my life and didn't lose a bit of sleep by it." She said. "He doesn't deserve a girl like you anyway." Squid said. Ashley felt something inside her that she never felt before. She felt loved. But did Squid love her? Or was she just feeling like this because he was treating her good? "Did you love him before?" Squid asked. Ashley thought about that question. She never really [i]did[/i] love him to begin with. She just thought it was cool to have a 24 year old boyfriend. She thought that Landon would've protected her, not get her into trouble.on purpose. Ashley shook her head. "I, uh, never really did. I just thought it was cool to have an older boyfriend that would protect me from harm. But I was very wrong." She said. And then Squid's words popped into Ashley's head. 'Don't worry, I'll protect you' the words said. Ashley's stomach turned. Did she finally find someone that would really care for her? Or was he just full of bull just like Landon was? 


	6. Mr Pearl and the first hole

How to Deal Chapter Six  
  
"Ashley! Snap out of it!" Squid was snapping his fingers in front of Ashley's face. Ashley snapped out of it and shook her head. "You okay? You were just sort of hypnotized." Squid said. "Oh, yeah.I'm fine. I was just thinking..about.stuff." she said. Squid nodded, "Is it my business if I ask you what you were thinking about?" "Oh.sure! Yeah, I was just thinking about.Landon, and everything." She said. "Oh." Squid said. He looked at his watch. "It's about time for everyone to get up and start digging." He said. Ashley nodded, still thinking about Squid and Landon. Squid sounds exactly like Landon did when Ashley first met him, all nice and caring. Ashley didn't want to get close to Squid because he might do what Landon did. "Ashley? Are you okay?" he asked again. "You just glazed over again." "I'm fine. I'm just a little tired, that's all." She said. Squid wasn't buying it. Then the loud horn sounded and it made Ashley jump. Ashley and Squid walked to where a table was sitting with greasy tortillas. "This is our breakfast?" Ashley asked, making a skeptical look. Squid nodded and with his mouth full he said, "Is goss, izn it?" Ashley nodded. After they got their tortillas, Ashley walked over to a small shed that said "LIBRARY" in big letters on the top. Ashley shook her head and thought, [i]This is place is just full of surprises.[/i] After that, Ashley and the rest of D-Tent walked over to Mr. Pendanski where he fills everybody's canteen. Mr. Sir led all of the D-Tent campers to a certain spot. "Dig here. Now if you find anything interesting, you are to report it to me or Pendandski." He said. "What am I supposed to be looking for Mr. Sir?" Stanley asked. "You aren't looking for anything, you're building character. You take a bad boy, make him work all day out in the hot sun, and it turns him into a good boy. That's our philosophy here at Camp Green Lake. Now start digging." He said. Stanley put his shovel in the dirt and jumped on the shovel. He fell down and everyone laughed. Ashley hated it when people laughed at other people. "One down, ten million to go." Mr. Sir said as he started back to camp. Ashley already had three shovelfuls of dirt out of her hole. Ashley almost enjoyed digging. She knew that sooner or later she'd get sick of it, but for now, she liked digging because it was a way to release her anger or hate. And as she dug, she thought about lots of things from her past. Good things and bad things.  
  
*Flashback*  
  
Ashley and Landon were cuddled up on a blanket looking up at the stars. They had set up their blanket for a picnic earlier that day, but now that it was dark, they were gazing up at the stars. Ashley felt like everything was perfect. She had perfect teachers, perfect friends, perfect grades...well, almost, and a perfect boyfriend. So she thought.  
  
*End of Flashback*  
  
Ashley tried to make her mind think of something else, other than what Landon used to be like. She didn't want to think about that.  
  
*Flashback*  
  
Ashley was up in her room talking on the phone when she heard the door slam open downstairs. "Get down here!" the voice of her father yelled. Ashley hung up the phone and ran downstairs. "I heard that you got bad grades this past week Ashley!" he yelled in her face. Ashley whimpered. She knew what he was going to do to here. "Answer me!" he yelled again. "Uh.Hhh, yeah...I did sir." She said. "You know what happens to little girls when they get bad grades?" he asked in a little baby voice. "Y-Yes sir." She whimpered. She was NOT a little girl anymore. He was referring to her as a six year old and she resented that. She was thirteen. "Y-Y-Y-Yes S-S-S-S- sir." He mimicked. Ashley started to cry. She was home alone and her mother wasn't here to back her up. "Come here." He boomed at her grabbing her by the wrist and practically dragging her up the stairs into her parents' room. He opened the closet and grabbed his belt. "Gimme your hand!" he yelled. She squeezed her eyes shut and held out her left hand. He slammed the belt down on her hand, making her yelp in pain. He did it three more times and then he hit her right hand. By now, Ashley was crying so hard. She tried really hard not to make it obvious, or else he'd whip her again. Her father started hitting her arms with the belt until she was bruised up really bad. "If your mother comes home, tell her that I'm at the bar!" he yelled. He boomed down the stairs and slammed the door behind him. Ashley whimpered more and started crying. She cried all day until her mom got home. Here mom never knew about the really bad beatings, like the one that Ashley got today. Because her dad never did it when her mom was home, and Ashley would never tell her. Ashley started crying harder and harder, for everything. She didn't even get bad grades. That was just an excuse for her father to beat her.  
  
*End of Flashback*  
  
Ashley collapsed and fell to the ground, holding her arms in pain. She started crying and sobbing. Squid, Stanley, Zero, and Magnet all rushed over to Ashley. X-Ray made his way over, but slowly. Zig-Zag and Armpit stayed in their hole. They were almost the slowest diggers and they didn't want to stall for anything. Ashley kept sobbing. She curled up in a ball and whimpered. "Ashley! Are you okay?" Asked Squid, as him and Stanley started helping her up. Ashley shook her head. "What's wrong?" asked Magnet. "I-I-"she tried to speak but her emotions got the best of her. She started crying again. "Hey, you guys can go back and dig, I'll stay here." Said Squid. Ashley shook her head. "J-J-J-ust..you don't have to stay here with me." She said. "No, it's fine." Squid said. Ashley started to stop crying and she just tried to relax in Squid's arms. Ashley wiped the tears off her face and then remembered something that happened earlier that day...  
  
*Flashback*  
  
I don't love him anymore. He ruined my life and didn't lose a bit of sleep by it." Ashley said. "He doesn't deserve a girl like you anyway." Squid said.  
  
*End of Flashback*  
  
Ashley completely stopped crying now. Thinking of Squid's words made her feel really good. Ashley didn't really have any good memories that she could think of while she digs her hole, except the time when Squid and Ashley were talking. That's the only thing that Ashley can think about without bursting into tears..but bursting into laughter. Ashley smiled. "Okay, now you're really freaking me out. First you're crying like someone died and now you're smiling like someone kissed you." Squid said. Ashley looked up at him. "I was just thinking about something, well, really nice. It helps me to think about nice things after something like that happened." Ashley said. "But why did you collapse like that?" he asked. "I-I just thought about..um..bad memories." She said. Squid nodded. To tell you the truth, Ashley really wanted Squid to ask what it was that she was crying about. Ashley wanted to tell someone that would listen, and he seems to be the only person around here who knows her enough and cares for her enough, to listen. But Squid wouldn't ask why because he didn't want Ashley to go through something like that again. "If you..uh.want to know what I was thinking about, I'll tell you. I know it'll help to tell someone. I've never told anyone about it because I knew that they wouldn't understand or they wouldn't listen." Ashley said. "Well, I'm here and I'll listen. But if it bothers you, don't tell me." Squid said. Ashley nodded and told Squid the whole memory that she had that made her collapse just minutes ago. Squid looked down at the dirt and didn't say anything. He looked shocked...and, sad. Ashley smiled, "Say something!" She teased. Squid shook his head and didn't say anything. Ashley looked at him. "That's not funny, Ashley. Why are you smiling?" he asked. Ashley's smile disappeared from her face and she looked into Squid's eyes. "I know, I'm just trying to lighten up the situation." Ashley said. "How could your father do that?" he asked. Ashley shook her head. "How could he beat such a beautiful girl like you?" he asked. "It makes me sick." Ashley started to have a weird feeling again. Like she was finally loved. And [i]that[/i] was the difference between Squid and Landon. She had never felt loved by Landon, it was just more of an attraction. And Landon had never called Ashley beautiful. Ashley just starred into Squid's eyes and hugged him. "Finally! The water truck!" yelled Magnet. Ashley pulled away from Squid's arms and got up to go get her share of the water. 


	7. The Surprise Arrival

How to Deal: Chapter Seven  
  
Ashley got in the back of the line for the water truck, behind Zero, where Mr. Pendanski was filling their canteens. "I have an announcement!" said Mr. Pendanski. Everyone stopped talking and looked at him. Judging by the looks on their faces, Ashley could tell that they rarely get announcements like this. "Some new campers are going to arrive." He said, proudly. "What?" everyone asked, looking at each other. "But I thought Ashley and Stanley were the only ones arriving." X-Ray said. "Yes, well they were. But now, a different camp has shut down and some new people are going to be here at Camp Green Lake." He said. "Only boys?" asked Zig-Zag "No, Ricky. Girls are going to be here too." Mr. Pendanski said. Ashley almost got excited over that, but not too much. It was going to be nice to have another girl around, but she had no idea what she would be like. "And since D-Tent might be getting a little crowded with kids, a new counselor is going to arrive. Actually, a new counselor for each tent is going to arrive." He said. [i]How many times is he going to use the word 'arrive'?[/i] Ashley wondered, smiling to herself. [i]Maybe he's trying to make it sound like an organized camp, and being all formal and stuff.[/i] "So, please grab your graham crackers, apples, cheese, and bologna for your lunch and continue digging." Mr. Pendanski said. Ashley grabbed her lunch and saw Squid sneak a whole handful of graham crackers. Ashley half smiled. "So, how do you feel about more girls coming?" he asked when he kneeled down to offer her another graham cracker. "Thanks." She said, taking the cracker, "I dunno, I'm kinda nervous. I mean, they could be real jerks, you never know." Squid nodded, "Yeah." Once they were done eating, Ashley continued digging her hole and was almost done when Zero started walking back to camp. "You're done already?" Stanley asked. "Dude, don't you know man? He's like the fastest digger in the camp!" Magnet said. "Yeah, Zero's a mole. I think he eats the dirt." Squid said. "Moles don't eat dirt. Worms eat dirt dog." X-Ray said. "Yeah, Zero's a weird dude." Zig-Zag said. 15 minutes later, Ashley was finished with her hole and she started walking back to camp. She had huge blisters on her hands. They stung really badly and they were filled with dirt and blood. Ashley couldn't look at it any longer because it reminded her of the way her father used to beat her. She ran to the showers and rinsed off her hands. Once she was finished taking a shower, she went into the wreck room and saw Zero sitting in the corner. "Hey." Ashley said. Zero didn't say anything. "Mind if I come sit next to you?" Ashley asked him. Zero shook his head. "Alright." Ashley said as she sat down next to him. Ashley didn't really know what to say, so she just sat there. "How old are you?" Ashley asked. Zero just looked at her. "14." He said after a long silence. "14? Cool." She said. Ashley knew that Zero was going to want to know how old she was. "How old are you?" he finally asked her. "I'm 16 years old." She said. Zero nodded. "Hey!" Squid said as he and some of the other campers walked into the tent. "Hi!" said Ashley. "Zero, I'm going to play pool with some of the guys, wanna play?" she asked him. Zero nodded and Ashley saw him smile.  
  
"So, who's all gonna play?" Ashley asked Squid as her and Zero walked over to the pool tables. "Uh, I think it's just me, you, Zero, and Stanley." He said. "Cool." Ashley said. "Where are all the other boys?" Ashley asked. "Still digging I reckon." Said Squid, imitating Mr. Sir's voice. Ashley laughed.  
  
Ashley and Zero were on a team and Stanley and Squid were a team. "So, how are you guys gonna feel when a whole bunch of girls as snotty as me show up at camp?" Ashley asked. Zero smiled. "What makes you think that you're snotty?" Stanley asked. "Nevermind." Ashley said. "She meant it as a joke, man." Squid said. Stanley paused. "I don't get it." He said. Ashley and Squid laughed. Mr. Pendanski walked in the room. "Attention all campers!" he said loudly. Ashley rolled her eyes and turned to look at him. "I have another announcement!" he said. "The campers and counselors that were to arrive tomorrow, are going to arrive tonight!" he said, proudly. Ashley's stomach did cartwheels. Some of the campers cheered, some snickered, and some just looked extremely bored. Squid, Stanley, and Zero just listened to Mr. Pendanski. "Now I want all of you to step outside and welcome the campers to their new home." He said. Everyone groaned.  
  
"Look! There's the bus!" Magnet exclaimed. Ashley smiled, but she didn't really believe that it was a true smile. She was still a little uneasy about the whole thing. She didn't understand why, she just had a strange feeling. After Mr. Sir called off all of the tents, except for D-Tent, he said, "Alright D-Tent campers! Listen up! Mr. Pendanski here is going to call of the names of our new D-Tent campers and counselors!" Ashley's stomach turned again. "Faith Denison?" Mr. Pendanski called. A tall girl stepped off the bus. She looked like she couldn't wait to get off. She had pretty green eyes and short reddish brown hair. Faith walked over to the D-Tent campers and went straight to where Ashley was standing, probably because Ashley was the only girl around. "Carla Enders?" he called. A shorter girl stepped off the bus. It looked like she couldn't wait to get off either. She had beautiful shiny black hair and she looked Mexican. "That's all the campers. Now say hello to our new counselor!" Mr. Pendanski called. The man that started to come off the bus was very tall. He had jeans and boots and a blue striped shirt that he tucked inside his pants. As soon as Ashley saw his face, she ran over to Squid. "Squid! Hide me!" she whispered. Squid instantly stood in front of her. "Why?" he whispered, once she was hidden. "That's my ex-boyfriend...the one that I was telling you about! That's Landon!" Ashley cried. She thought that her life was about to end. She would be tormented for life with him here, especially as a counselor! "Wow, he looks really tough." Squid said. Ashley nodded, "He is!" "Landon Quinn is going to be D-Tent's new counselor. He is going to assist me in teaching you all a lesson." Mr. Pendanski said. "Squid! What am I going to do?" Ashley whispered. Squid shook his head. "Just stay near me and X." he said. "Okay." Ashley whispered. Landon walked into the tent. "Now, I would like all of you to go to your tents and give Mr. Quinn a warm welcome!" Mr. Pendanski said. Ashley gasped. "Now what?" she asked. Squid just grabbed her hand and walked with her into the tent. 


	8. Landon Meets DTent

How to Deal Chapter Eight  
  
All of the D-Tent boys all gathered around Landon and both of the new girls. "Alright, please tell Mr. Quinn, Miss Enders, and Miss Denison all of your names please." Said Mr. Pendanski. Ashley cringed. "Squid! Make up a name for me and tell them that I don't like to talk, or, something!" Ashley whispered. Squid nodded. "Yo, I'm X-Ray." X said. "No, please, Rex, tell him your real name." Mr. Pendanski said. "Aight, I'm Rex and my nickname is X-Ray." He said. "I'm Jose and my nickname is Magnet." "I'm Ricky, but call me ZigZag." "I'm Stanley, but I don't have a nickname." He said. "No dude, it's Caveman." Said X-Ray. "Caveman?" Stanley asked. "Yeah." Armpit said. "I'm Theodore, but call me Armpit." "This is Zero, we all call him that." Said X-Ray. Suddenly, Ashley felt sorry for Zero, because even Mr. Pendanski calls him Zero. "I'm Alan; my nickname is Squid, and this is Amy, and she doesn't have a nickname yet." Squid said. "Dude, her name is Ashley." Said X-Ray. Ashley cringed. X-Ray had no idea who Landon was so Ashley didn't blame him, but she was still mad. Landon looked up at Ashley who was standing behind Squid. "Dude, she doesn't like to talk much," Said Squid, "so that's probably why I forgot her name so easily." "Ashley?" Landon said as he got up and walked over to her. Squid put his arm around her waist, in a protective way. Landon pulled Ashley away from Squid's grip and put his arm around her, holding her rather tight. "I missed you baby!" he exclaimed. "Hey, get away from her!" Squid said. Landon narrowed his eyes so only Squid could see. "Um, I think I'm missing something, how do you two know each other?" Mr. Pendanski asked. All of the D-Tent boys were looking confused. "She was my girlfriend before she got sent here." He said, smiling a huge grin. "What?" X-Ray asked, looking around. "Aren't you a little to old man?" "No, actually, I take care of her!" he said. "That's a lie!" Squid yelled, trying to pull Ashley away from Landon's grip. "Hey! What are you going you pervert?? Leave my girl alone! She doesn't like people pulling on her like that!" Landon yelled at Squid. Ashley pulled her arm away in a sudden movement, surprising Landon, at just the right moment. "I'm not your girl!" she yelled, "I was never your girl! In fact, I'm not anybody's girl! You're making me sound like cattle! And yes, you're right; I don't like people pulling at me! So, use your own advice that you just told Squid and stay off me!" Ashley yelled. Mr. Pendanski looked confused, wondering why Ashley was being so harsh towards Landon who, in Mr. Pendanski's eyes, has done nothing. Landon looked bewildered. The Ashley that Landon used to know hardly stood up for herself very much. But the Ashley that Landon saw now, is a total different girl. Ashley stared at Landon with narrowed eyes and stepped back to where Squid was standing. All of the D-Tent boys were speechless. That's the most that Ashley has ever said in front of them the whole time she was there. Landon started walking up to Squid and Ashley and it looked like he was ready to strike. X-Ray got up and ran over to Squid and Ashley and stood in front of them, blocking Landon's way. "Hey, beat it kid, I've got work to do!" he said. X-Ray shook his head with an evil grin on his face. It was a 'you're not going to get away with that' type look. Ashley almost laughed. Nobody ever talks to X-Ray like that, especially when Armpit was following X-Ray and stood next to him. "Come on you guys! We have to stick up for Ashley and Squid!" said Magnet and Stanley as they walked and stood next to X-Ray and Armpit. ZigZag walked over there and eyed Landon. He looked nervous. Even Zero stood up for Ashley by standing in front of the whole gang. Faith and Carla didn't know what to do. They looked up at Mr. Pendanski for advice and he put his hand up like 'stay there' to the girls. Faith shook her head and made her way over to the other side of the room where the group of confident D-Tent campers were surrounding Ashley and Squid. Carla just reluctantly got up and followed Faith. She didn't want to interfere with anything that Landon wanted. She knew what he was like and didn't want to get him mad. All of the D-Tenters felt that way, but they had to do something for Ashley. Carla knew about Landon from spending a whole 9 hours on a bus with him. As usual, he was flirting with her the whole time. If it wasn't for the bus driver who kept telling Landon to sit down until the bus stopped, Landon would've kissed Carla any chance he got. Same with Faith. All the more reason to defend Ashley.  
  
Now a total of nine kids, supposedly dangerous because they [i]are[/i] juvenile delinquents, were between Ashley and Landon. This made Ashley feel so good because who knows what Landon could do to her in an unsafe camp, and because she knew that everyone in her tent cared for her, even mean ol' X-Ray and Armpit. They weren't so mean after all. Ashley smiled. She was in the corner of the tent with a wall of kids separating her from Landon. And for once in her life, she felt safe. "See man! If you mess with one of us, especially the girls in the tent, you mess with all of us!" shouted X-Ray. "D-Tent sticks together! Whether you like it or not!" Landon looked shocked. And as he walked out of the tent, he winked at Ashley who just smirked and scowled at him.  
  
Mr. Pendanksi decided to go straight to bed, claiming that he's had a long and hard day. Ashley went up to X-Ray. "Hey, X?" she said once she was next to him. He turned around to face her. "What?" "Uh, I just wanted to thank you, for um, you know, back there. For sticking up for me all. That really made me feel good." She said. X just smiled and lightly slapped her on her arm. "Sure dog. It's not nice for guys, especially older guys, to treat girls like that." He said. Ashley smiled, "Thank you." She said. He nodded and walked over to Armpit and ZigZag where they were playing poker on X's cot. Stanley and Zero were writing on a piece of paper while Magnet read over their shoulders. Carla and Faith were looking at a magazine together on Faith's cot.  
  
Squid was lying down on his cot, his hands behind his head, looking up at the ceiling. Ashley walked over there and sat down next to him. He turned his head to look at her and smiled. Ashley didn't smile, she just looked down. "Thank you." She said, finally. "No, really. Thank you so much." Squid stopped smiling and nodded. "If it wasn't for you and the rest of D-Tent, who knows what he could've done to me." Ashley said. "I know him, I know what he can do, and I wish I didn't know him." Squid sat up. "Listen, if you didn't know him, then I wouldn't have been able to protect you. I wouldn't have known what he was like." Squid said. "Well, when you put it that way." Ashley said, smiling. Squid smiled. "I'm really going to have a hard time here. And now you and the guys are all wrapped in it and he's going to try to hurt you too." Ashley said with a worried look. "Naw, don't worry about us. When all of us stand together, we can take him!" Squid said with confidence. Ashley laughed. "Thanks." She said. "Anytime." Squid said. Ashley got up from Squid's cot and decided to go say hi to the new girls.  
  
"Hi!" Ashley said. Faith and Carla turned around and smiled. "Hey!" Faith said. "What's up?" Carla asked. "Well, I just wanted to introduce myself, since I'm the only other girl around here." She said. "Coolie!" Faith said. "Okay." Carla said. Ashley could already tell that Faith had more of a free spirit and Carla was more dull. "I'm Ashley." She said, holding out her hand. "Girl, if you're gonna go around talking to me, "said Faith, "then it's about time to learn some things!" Ashley smiled, "And what might that be?" she asked. "First of all, no handshakes! Second of all, no proper worries about upsetting the new girl! Third of all, my name is Faith!" she said. Ashley laughed. This girl had style. But Ashley saw that Carla had rolled her eyes when Faith was naming the terms. Ashley went around the cot and sat down next to the girls. "Alright, well, first of all, you have to dig five by five holes while you're at Camp Green Lake. Second of all, don't take X-Ray's shovel. The one with the orange tape around the handle, it's the shortest. Third of all, Mr. Sir is real mean, so don't bug him. Fourth of all, don't take Mr. Pendanski seriously, he full of bull. Fifth of all, do not, I repeat, do NOT upset the Warden." Ashley said. Faith and Carla looked confused. "You'll understand when you dig tomorrow." Ashley said with a laugh. "It isn't [i]that[/i] bad." Carla and Faith nodded. "You girls better get to sleep. You have to wake up really early tomorrow morning and you have to work all day in the hot sun." Ashley said. Carla and Faith said goodnight to Ashley as Ashley made her way to her cot next to Squid. "Squid? You still awake?" Ashley asked. "No." he said. Ashley could see him smile. Ashley just smiled and shook her head. "What is it Ashley?" he asked. "I was just wondering if you were still awake." She said. "Why?" he asked. "Oh, no reason." She said. Squid chuckled and turned over to face Ashley. "Goodnight, Ashley." He said. "Goodnight." Ashley said. And this time, Ashley fell into a [i]easy[/i] sleep, dreaming about how the D-Tent boys would beat up Landon for trying to kiss her. Landon would get smashed to the ground and fall into an endless pit like in her dream the night before. But morning came to soon by the sound of the loud horn. She would have to face yet another day in the hot sun; only this time..it had gotten worse. 


	9. The Kiss

How to Deal Chapter Nine  
  
Ashley got out of bed, along with all the other D-Tent campers, and went out to get her so-called tortilla breakfast. Ashley scanned the large crowd for any sign of Landon. Then she saw him, talking to another one of the counselors, leaning against the water truck. Ashley got in line for the shovels as soon as she could so she could stay away from Landon. Squid was way behind in the line. He seemed to have overslept; due to the fact that he was still rubbing his eyes and the laces on his shoes weren't tied yet. Ashley smiled. But her smile soon disappeared when Landon started making his way over to the line of kids.  
  
Ashley grabbed her shovel, stuffed her tortilla down her throat, and hid behind the water truck. She heaved a sigh of relief when he didn't see her.  
  
By now all of D-Tent, including Faith and Carla, were out on the lake digging their hole. Carla seemed to be stressed as she tried to lift her second shovelful of dirt out of the ground. Faith didn't seem too stressed about it yet. She was still smiling as she was talking with X-Ray, Armpit, and ZigZag who were digging close by. Caveman and Zero were digging close together, while Magnet was digging kind of in the middle of everyone, so as to hear what [i]everybody[/i] was saying. Squid was off somewhere, not digging his hole, probably going to the bathroom.  
  
Sure enough, Ashley saw Squid climbing out of a hole about 20 feet away from where D-Tent was digging. "Hey." He said. "I just had to go to the bathroom." "Well, I think that's pretty obvious. What else would you be doing in a hole? Flirting with the lizards?" Magnet said. Everyone laughed, even Squid.  
  
Ashley heaved another shovelful of dirt out of the ground and dumped it on her pile of dirt. She looked up at the horizon and saw the water truck making its way to where D-Tent was digging. Ashley sighed and sat down in her hole. "Finally some water. I've been out of water for like an hour." She said. "Yeah. I've been out too." Squid said. Everyone nodded in agreement, too tired to talk. Faith and Carla weren't doing too badly. Faith's hole was a lot deeper than Carla's, but Carla didn't seem to mind.  
  
The water truck slowed to a stop and everyone climbed out of their hole. The line was X-Ray, Armpit, Squid, ZigZag, Magnet, Caveman, Zero, Ashley, Faith, and then Carla. Mr. Pendanski stepped out of the truck and started filling the canteens. "Alright, I've got cookies and oranges for lunch today. Get your lunch and then get back in your holes." He said. Everyone grabbed their lunches. Ashley wasn't so hot on climbing back into her hole just to eat lunch, so she sat down next to her hole. Everyone did the same. Squid walked over to Ashley and sat down next to her. "How're you doin?" he asked. Ashley nodded. "Fine." She said. "Good. I was just really relieved with Mr. Pendanski stepped out of the truck and not Landon." Squid said. "Yeah." Ashley said, taking a bite of her cookie. Squid started peeling his orange. "Just stick with me and the rest of D-Tent when we get back to camp, especially Armpit and X. They're strong. Okay?" Squid asked. "I will." Ashley said, nodding.  
  
Mr. Pendanski drove away in the water truck, a trail of dust following behind him. "Well, "Ashley sighed, "back to digging!" "Yeah." Squid said. "You know, I almost want to just take my time digging. The sooner I get done, the sooner I have to face what's next with Landon, back at camp." Ashley said. "Yeah, I know." Squid said. Ashley nodded and she continued to dig, despite the fact that she'll have to go back to camp no matter what.  
  
Everyone was finished digging except for Squid and Ashley. Even Faith and Carla finished before them, with blistered hands and sore muscles.  
  
Ashley could tell that Squid was digging slowly so he could walk back to camp with her. "Squid, you can't hide it! I know that you are digging slowly to keep me safe." Ashley said. Squid shook his head and kept digging. "Thank you. It means a lot to me. I haven't felt cared for like this in a long time. I haven't felt loved, by anybody." Ashley said. Squid nodded. "Neither have I." Ashley's heart broke. She never knew about any of Squid's past. "What was your home like? Well, I mean, like your surroundings and everything." Ashley asked. "Well, my mom is an alcoholic because my dad left us when I was real young." He said. "Oh, I'm sorry." Ashley said. "Thanks." He said. Ashley nodded. "I know what that's like. My dad was too." She said. "Yeah." Squid said.  
  
Ashley bent down and measured her hole with her shovel. Perfect fit, deep and wide. "Well, my hole is finished. What about you?" Ashley asked. "Yep, finished." Squid said. "Mm-kay" she said. Squid and Ashley climbed out of their holes and made their way back to camp.  
  
Once they were both finished taking their showers, they decided not to go into the wreck room. Squid peeked into the wreck room and saw Landon sitting on the couch, flirting with a girl who was buying all of it. She looked a little older than Ashley.  
  
Squid and Ashley just hung out at their tent. Squid grabbed a couple rocks on their way in the tent and scratched the top to make dice out of them. They played dice for awhile until it got boring and then they talked. After that, they were so bored, they just laid down on their cots and did nothing.  
  
Squid sighed. "What should we do?" he wondered out loud. Ashley shook her head. "I dunno. Why did Landon have to go and ruin everything?" Ashley said. "I know, he's such a pig." Squid said. "I mean, come on! You're not supposed to treat girls like that!" "Yeah, I know. I'm just glad you're here and that you think that way." Ashley said. "Thanks. I'm kind of surprised that I [i]do[/i] think that way, you know, with my whole background and all." Squid said. "Yeah." Ashley said. "I'm sorry about all that." "Thanks. Ashley, you don't have to keep saying that!" Squid said, smiling. "I know, but I just feel so bad! I mean, I had a good, trying mother and I blew it!" Ashley said. "Why?" Squid asked. Ashley sat up and told Squid all about her attitude towards her mother and about the look that her mother had on her face when Ashley talked back to her. A look of sadness. A tear rolled down Ashley's cheek and she quickly wiped it off with her sleeve.  
  
Squid sat up and leaned over to her to hug her. Ashley sniffed. "Thank you." She said. "I just really miss her." "I know." He said.  
  
After some silence, Squid grabbed Ashley's hand and led her to the mess hall to eat their dinner. They tried to keep a low profile as they sat down at the D-Tent table.  
  
X-Ray started off the conversation with the typical 'what's your name' and 'what'd you get sent for' questions for the new D-Tent girls. Ashley looked at Squid with worried eyes as Landon walked in and sat down at the counselor's table. Squid nodded and they both ate as fast as they could. "Whoa, dudes! You guys must be pretty hungry!" ZigZag said. Squid and Ashley just nodded because they only way to answer him with their voices would be to stop eating for a second. Ashley and Squid were finally finished. They got up from the table, said bye to D-Tent, and were halfway across the floor when a voice called out to them, "Ashley!" It was Landon. Ashley stopped and turned around to face the counselor's table. "Don't worry, I'll come with you." Squid said. Ashley shook her head. "Be careful Squid..this guy is tough." She said. "I'll be waitin for ya in my tent babe!" he called out. Everyone in the mess hall stopped eating and stared at Landon and Ashley like they were nuts. A kid and an adult are going together? That was the kind of words that all of the kids were gibbering about. "In your dreams Landon!" she yelled as her and Squid walked out of the mess hall. Landon practically threw his chair across the room. Everyone laughed. D-Tent laughed the hardest, knowing how much it bothered Landon.  
  
Ashley and Squid smiled as they walked into their tent and laughed. "He sure got his didn't he??" Ashley exclaimed through laughing fits. Squid nodded, laughing. Squid and Ashley finally stopped laughing and sat down on their cots.  
  
"Thanks for being there for me, Squid." Ashley said. Squid nodded. "No problem. I just want you to be happy." He said. Ashley looked down. "Thank you. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be nearly as happy as I am now." She said. Squid didn't answer. He just stood up, Ashley did too. "What're we----" Ashley started to say, but Squid put his finger to Ashley's lips. Then he slowly leaned down until their lips met. Ashley's stomach did cartwheels. She hadn't expected that. But then, Ashley thought to herself that she had been waiting for him to do that for a long time... 


	10. The End?

How to Deal Chapter Ten  
  
Once Ashley and Squid were done kissing, Ashley sat down on the cot. Squid sat down next to her. They sat in silence for a long time until the rest of D-Tent came in the tent. They were all cracking up and mimicking Landon and everything. "Yo! Ashley! Nice words dog!" X-Ray called. Ashley looked up, smiled sort of a fake smile, and then looked down again. Faith and Carla were talking with ZigZag and Magnet. X-Ray, Armpit, and Caveman were still making fun of Landon and laughing. Zero just laid down on his cot.  
  
Ashley turned towards Squid and hugged him.  
  
The next day, D-Tent was out on the dry lake bed, digging another hole again. This time, the water truck arrived earlier than usual. Mr. Sir stepped out of the truck with a serious look on his face. He walked over to the curious D-Tent and started to talk. First, he cleared his throat. "Um..we've had uh, an unexpected attack from Yellow-Spotted Lizards back at camp about an hour ago and uh, some people are dead." He said. Ashley gasped. Squid just stared at Mr. Sir like he was nuts. Faith and Carla had a confused look on their face, wondering how a lizard could kill someone. Everyone else in D-Tent were shocked. "Uh, umm.who was killed Mr. Sir?" Ashley asked. "A couple counselors, Mr. Quinn and Miss Lemons." He said. Suddenly, relief swept over her, but she felt so awful that she was actually glad that he was dead. Ashley turned around and ran about 20 feet away from the crowd. There, she sat down and put her head down on her hands. She heard footsteps coming from behind her. "Ashley." Squid said, sitting down next to her. He put his hand on her shoulder. Ashley lifted her head from her hands. Tears were rolling down her cheeks. "I feel so awful!" Ashley cried. "Oh, Ashley." Squid said, pulling her tight to him, hugging her. "I actually felt glad that he died! Because then I would be safe!" Ashley sobbed, "But I feel so guilty and horrible for feeling that way about him!" "I know." Squid said, "But do you know what that means?" he asked. Ashley sniffed and wiped her eyes. "What?" "It means that you're a nice person.that you love your friends [i]and[/i] enemies. No matter what. And if that doesn't mean that you're a nice person, I don't know what does." Squid said. Ashley laughed a really short laugh and smiled. "Thank you Squid." She said, hugging him tighter. "Thank you." "Call me Alan." He said. Ashley pulled away from Squid's arms and whispered softly, "I love you, Alan." "I love you." Squid said. Ashley smiled and hugged him. Alan kissed her forehead and grabbed her hand. They made their way back to D-Tent, and by then, Mr. Sir was gone. Everyone in D-Tent were smiling, even Faith and Carla. "What's so funny you guys?" Ashley asked. "Dig this! Mr. Sir said that we all get to go home because the lizards are acting real weird and all!" X-Ray said, jumping up and down with delight. "Woohoo!!!" Ashley and Squid yelled. Everyone in D-Tent yelled in excitement and happiness. And then, as if the situation couldn't get any better, it started to rain. Ashley and everyone in D-Tent screamed, jumped up and down, and ran around as they got soaked. Squid picked Ashley up on his back and twirled around in circles. Everyone was smiling.  
  
Ashley had fallen asleep on Squid's shoulder in the bus and woke up with a start as the bus rode over a hole in the ground. Each tent had their own bus, and the counselors were all in the same bus. "I was thinking, Alan..will I ever see you again?" Ashley asked. "Of course, Ashley." He said. "Yeah but, we don't live in the same city." She said. "Hey, now wait a minute...I never told you what city that I live in." Alan said. Ashley smiled, "Oh, right..hehe, yeah.you didn't tell me. Alright, what city do you live in Alan?" she asked with a hopeful smile. "Houston." He said. Ashley screamed. "I live there!!!" she yelled. "Hey hey, quiet down kid." Said the bus driver. Ashley didn't pay attention at all to the bus driver and screamed again. "What'd I tell you?" the bus driver asked again. Ashley smiled and pounced on Alan, hugging him. Alan flew out onto the isle and Ashley landed on top of him. Everyone laughed at them. But neither Ashley nor Alan cared. "I love you Ashley!" Alan said, hugging her tighter. "I love you too." She said. Finally, they stopped hugging and got back up on the seat. Alan put his hand on Ashley's neck and kissed her. Ashley kissed him back and everyone in D-Tent rolled their eyes. Faith and Carla giggled.  
  
Everything worked out great. It turns out that Alan's mother had stopped her drinking habits after feeling like she had failed her son. Ashley's father had gotten arrested for child abuse; Ashley's mother had reported him. Speaking of Ashley's mom, her and Ashley had sold their house and bought a duplex with Alan and his mom. They were living on each side of the duplex. Alan on the right, Ashley on the left. Alan and Ashley were high school sweat-hearts. They both were still dating and kept in touch with the other D-Tent members every day.  
  
*THE END* 


End file.
